


Understood

by hit_the_books



Series: SPN Poly Bingo 2017 [17]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Men of Letters Bunker, Multi, Polyamory, Sam Winchester's Hell Trials, Season/Series 08, Sick Sam Winchester, The Demon Tablet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 10:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11576190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hit_the_books/pseuds/hit_the_books
Summary: Without really meaning to, Sam, Garth and Kevin drift together into something that is far more than being friends. But as Sam waits to face the third trial, both Garth and Kevin realize that they're not ready to lose him.





	Understood

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for SPN Poly Bingo and the square: Garth.

A lone, banana and walnut muffin remained on the coffee table. Garth side eyed both Sam and Kevin. He hadn’t expected his stay at the Bunker to go like this. Of course he also didn’t expect Sam to look so damn ill. Worry churned inside Garth’s stomach. Without asking, Garth picked up the plate with the muffin on and handed it to Sam.

“Uh… thanks?” Sam glanced between Garth and Kevin.

Kevin shared a knowing look with Garth. “It’s your home, you have the last one,” Kevin insisted.

With a confused frown, Sam took the last muffin. “It’s yours too… But thanks, guys.” As Sam took the muffin with trembling hands, it just confirmed to Garth that Sam needed it more than either he or Kevin. Though Kevin wasn’t looking that great either, like he hadn’t been eating well since he’d gotten away from Crowley, which made sense, because Garth hadn’t kept a close eye on him when he was on his boat.

Guilt slid down Garth’s back like ice water, making him shiver. Neither Kevin or Sam noticed.

***

“What smells so good?” Kevin asked as he wandered into the Bunker’s kitchen.

Stirring the pasta sauce and meatballs he had simmering, Garth looked up at Kevin and grinned. “Dinner. Hope you’re hungry.”

Kevin looked over at the table where Sam, Dean and Castiel were sat. The look asked if Dean, who normally cooked for them, was okay with all of this. Dean shifted in his seat and wrapped an arm around Castiel’s shoulders.

“Garth _can_ cook,” Dean stated.

Kevin suspected that Dean had never tried Garth’s cooking before, but the sauce did smell good. He looked around the kitchen, catching sight of the dark bags under Sam’s eyes. “Anything I can help with?” Kevin asked Garth.

“Yeah, get the water on for the noodles.”

“On it.”

It was soothing to go through the motions of helping to make dinner. He was glad he’d finally left Garth’s boat when he’d found out about the Bunker. Not having the floor sway under him any more was nice. And it felt safer. He felt safe for the first time in a long while.

***

It was just Sam, Kevin and Garth in the Bunker. Sam was sat in the middle on the couch that Garth had acquired from somewhere. They’d only been in the Bunker a few weeks, but Garth and Dean had both started nesting, with Garth finding odd bits of furniture to make things more comfortable, and Dean finding modern appliances to fill the space with.

On a wide screen TV they watched a documentary about some true crime thing. Sam found it funny that the TV was from some random yard sale where a recent divorcée had been selling off her ex’s crap. Yawning, Sam stretched out and without thinking, put his arms on the back of the couch—behind Kevin and Garth’s heads.

Sam had no real interest in the documentary, he was thinking about what the third trial might be. Even knowing that it would make him worse, Sam wanted to do something to finally help. He liked the idea of making the world safer, so his brother no longer had to hunt, and Castiel could finally enjoy doing something that wasn’t just being a warrior. And increasingly, Sam found himself hoping that his acts would mean that Garth and Kevin could also step back from being involved in hunting so much. Garth had lost a career due to hunting, and Kevin had lost his future and a finger thanks to an absent God.

Minutes passed. Gradually, Garth and Kevin stretched and shifted their way to being pressed up against Sam’s sides. It didn’t seem conscious, because once Sam realized what had happened he blinked in surprise as he looked at the two men.

Heart thumping fast, Sam looked between Garth and Kevin, his hair whipping around his face with the movement. The other two men blinked at him with wide surprised eyes, seeming to realize some of what had been going on.

Garth licked his lips—Sam had been noticing such details more and more. “Uh,” Garth began, “is everything, okay?”

Sam glanced at Kevin and noticed the way the younger man’s eyes hopefully looked up at him. None of this was planned, or expected. Sure the three of them had been spending more and more time together, now that the Bunker was a thing. But Sam had liked the way that Garth had stayed around, and how Kevin had started to forgive Sam for his fuck ups.

A blush rose to Sam’s cheeks, and he nervously looked between Garth and Kevin. “Guys?”

Kevin swallowed and tried to say something, but all that came out was a huffed breath. He cleared his throat. “Sam, I- um...” the words failed again.

Looking for his own words, Sam tried to speak and then Kevin was pressing their lips together. Sam’s body tensed and then he relaxed as Kevin continued the kiss. Kevin’s lips were soft and gentle, making Sam’s stomach flutter with the acceptance and yearning there.

Finally Sam pulled back and ended the kiss. Sam took several deep breaths to catch his breath and he looked to Garth who was staring at the two of them, dumbfounded.

“I- I…” Garth started to rise from the couch.

Sam shot out his hand and clutched Garth’s arm. “Please,” Sam whispered.

Garth didn’t need to be told twice. He twisted around and kissed Sam, mouth open and hungry. Sam swiped his tongue inside and tasted the peppermint tea Garth had drunk earlier. Breaking the kiss, Sam leaned back and looked between Garth and Kevin—their eyes were wide, cheeks flushed.

“Okay… what… is… this? Us?” And it felt so good to say “us” that Sam felt his heartbeat falter for a beat. Happiness chased the edges of his thoughts, and having spent so long feeling like he’d lost everything, suddenly a new world was opening up.

“This is us,” Kevin stated in a low, hungry voice with more gravel than Sam had been aware he was capable of.

Garth nodded.

***

Garth was the first to wake up after their talk and first night together. He looked over at Sam and Kevin. His own lips were a little swollen and his cheeks sore with burn from Sam and Kevin’s stubble—and they were similarly affected. He was kinda surprised that the three of them had fitted into Sam’s bed. Sam was this warm furnace right in the center of it.

Light spilled into the room from the hallway outside and made Sam look almost well, but Garth knew he’d look ill once he was awake. So Garth gently climbed out of the bed, not wanting to wake Sam from the rest he clearly needed. Pulling on the strings of his sleep pants, Garth made sure he wasn’t going to embarrass himself as he tied a knot. He grabbed one of Sam’s t-shirts, a plain blue one, pulled it on—it was huge on him—and padded out.

A little while later, Garth stepped into the kitchen, lured in by the smell of fresh coffee. He should have realized that the coffee was a trap.

“Ahem.” Dean looked up at him from the kitchen table, arms crossed against his chest. Sure Garth had been expecting protective older brother mode to be engaged in the future, just not as soon.

“Mornin’,” Garth said in a chipper voice. Without asking, he grabbed himself a mug out of a cupboard and poured himself a cup. As a former dentist, he refused to add any sugar to the cup, and took it black. He didn’t mind how it might stain his teeth, but he tended to avoid stuff that might make them rot.

Coffee in hand, Garth sat down at the table, opposite Dean, and waited.

“So, you, Sam and Kevin.”

“Me, Sam and Kevin.”

Dean scratched at the scruff on his cheeks and then took a sip of coffee. “You hurt Sam. You break his heart: nowhere will be safe. Understand?”

Garth nodded. “Understood.”

“You hurt Kevin. You break his heart: nowhere will be safe either. Understand?”

Garth nodded. “Understood.”

“Good.” Dean drained his coffee cup and stood up to leave.

Clearing his throat, Garth gave Dean a pointed look. “Sam’s sick. Like real sick. I think these trials are killing him.”

Dean stopped and ran a thumb over the side of the mug in his hands. “Cas… Cas said it’s not good.”

Garth swallowed, heart thumping hard in his chest. He’d found someone he didn’t want to lose. “There must be ‘nother way?”

A low chuckle worked its way out of Dean. He walked over to the sink and put his mug down beside it, making no move to wash it. “I hope so.” Dean left the mug unwashed and walked out the kitchen.

Garth looked into the dark pool of coffee in his mug. He would raid the Men of Letters’ library after he showered. His usual cheerful demeanor was gone, his brow was furrowed. He didn’t want to lose Sam.

No one did.

***

“Here,” Kevin said, cup of chamomile tea held out towards Sam.

Sam took the cup, hands shaking a little, but he managed not to spill any as he set it down on the library desk in front of him. “Thank you.”

The Demon tablet was set across from Sam, in front of another chair. Garth was with Dean and Castiel as they dealt with a ghost that was two hours away. It was just Kevin and Sam left in the Bunker.

The dark bags under Sam’s eyes weren’t getting any less prevalent. And Sam frequently ran a fever, shaking and coughing, burning up like he was stood in Hell fire. All because of the things that Kevin had read—what he’d told Sam and Dean.

He was only just starting to get to know the man beside him and he was slowly killing him. Kevin glanced at the Demon tablet.

It needed to stop.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments appreciated.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [dreamsfromthebunker](https://dreamsfromthebunker.tumblr.com/).


End file.
